HUSSAINI DALAN

There is little left of the Mughal purity of this bright white palace which stands one block from the prison in Dhaka. Built in 1642 to serve as a residence for the imam of the Shiite community of the capital, he underwent the outrages of time and was extensively reworked during the restoration by the British in 1810. The faithful of the two communities, Shia and Sunni, continue to gather here on the tenth day of the month of Muharram (mid-November to mid-December), which commemorates death in the battle of Karbala of Hussain, grandson of the Prophet.

The visit of the mosque is interesting and reveals the differences of religion between the two major branches of Islam. You will see a small altar on the ground floor where the faithful come to burn candles and garlands of flowers are suspended throughout the prayer room. Women are welcome inside the mosque, covered head, barefoot feet and required cover attire.